Brass Tacks (Merchants of Hope)
Brass Tacks is a young unicorn, and one of the main supporting characters in Fallout: Equestria - Merchants of Hope. History Prematurely born in the Manehatten Steel Rangers main base of operations, Brass's body never had the chance to develop to full size, and has given him a diminutive stature compared to the other ponies his age. Raised solely by his mother, a veteran scribe of the rangers, much of his early years was spent in schooling and extracurricular studies. He quickly rose to the top of his class, Brass was seen as a promising star amongst the leadership of the base, and given special relief from active duty. Viewing this relief as a lack of confidence in his abilities, Brass pressed the elders into putting him on a scavenging mission. He finally convinced them to let him join a group bound for the Ministry of Morale, and was assigned to carry the essential gear, namely the groups pulse weaponry. Upon entering the Ministry, the group fell under attack by multiple robots, most being gunned down in the ambush while Brass froze in terror. Regaining his senses, he was able to activate the pulse weapons and destroy the attacking robots, retrieving the power armor from his fallen squadmate Back Blast. Standing guard over a shielded bunker across the street from the Ministry of Morale, Brass presents himself as the paladin in charge of keeping it safe. While standing guard, several treasure hunters and traders attempt to persuade him to let them past, most notably and only success of them being Backlash. When Backlash offers his vehicle if he is killed, Brass uses it as an opportunity to return to the Steel Rangers with something of value, and attempts to kill Backlash on the shield of the facility. As Backlash collapses from his injuries, Brass realizes that he had corrupted his morals and needed to make up for it by saving Backlash's life. After delivering him to Tenpony for treatment, he waits and follows them back to their home in order to apologize. Present Day After showing up to Backlash's house, having Backlash attempt to lie to Skyline about what happened, and observing the letter left by the Ministry of Morale, Brass sets out with the others. In revealing to Backlash the reasons behind his actions, Backlash all but forgives him due to the extenuating circumstances, much like Skyline had. When Backlash is taken by the Alicorns, he hides, knowing full well that a single power armored Ranger couldn't take on a wing of Alicorns. When Backlash is taken, he regrets his inaction, blaming his 'cowardice' on it, and vowing to himself to no longer be afraid. Traits Appearance A fair amount smaller than other stallions his age, he is often misidentified as being a foal. He has a sea green mane which extends just past ear length with most of it sweeping forward around his horn, while the gold color of his coat nearly matches his bright yellow eyes. His cutie mark is a large, round headed thumb tack with its needle pointing in the upward direction. Personality Being told he was special throughout most of his life, he has come to regard that ideal as a sign of weakness and leading to him being a very outgoing pony. That same reinforcement leads him to be very mentally fragile, seeming to tear himself down from time to time with the idea that he may not be good enough. His above average intelligence does help him make decisions quickly and precisely, which earns him the praise that he revels in. He is somewhat socially awkward though, often unaware he is treading on sensitive or abstract topics. Skills Though lacking in physical and trade skills, his talent makes him adept in problem solving, easily unraveling puzzles and often the first to put two similar points together. Coupled with his knowledge of power armor use, he has proven to be an asset to combat. Equiptment Steel Ranger Power Armor Brass uses a standard model of pre-war power armor taken from his fallen squadmate. The armor is equipped with a standard issue mini-gun on one side, and a .50 caliber Anti-Machine rifle on the other. It has no other remarkable features. Relationships Backlash Upon re-centering his morals, he originally viewed Backlash as a pony in the wrong place at the wrong time. When Backlash shows forgiveness instead of scorn, Brass looks to him as somepony who treats others as equals, looking up to him as a sort of mentor. The longer he is around Backlash, the more he admires his seemingly endless drive, amazed at his unwillingness to be held back. He attempts to imitate this around Backlash, manifesting as forced shows of false bravery. Ultimately, Brass feels close enough to consider a romantic interest in him, but can't manifest the will to ask. Skyline In first meeting her, he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Only after she revealed that she knew of what he'd done and forgiven him, did he start to feel comfortable around her. Though misguided, he considered Skyline as a good match for Backlash, admiring her extreme loyalty to him. The one thing he is afraid of is her quickness to anger, causing her to speak her mind without thinking, which drives him away from her slightly. Carlotta Once she stated that she was under contract, he carried an indifference to Carlotta, only upon seeing her in battle did he gain respect for her. From in his power armor, he views himself as an equal to her. He is the most surprised to see that Carlotta and Skyline form a relationship, as most Talons don't bother when on the job. Yew Longbow Having met previously before the events of the story, Brass Tacks already knew of Longbow's dedication to duty and justice. Being a fellow Steel Ranger, trust was never an issue between them, though he does feel jealous of her relationship with Backlash. Overall, he considers her a good teammate for the group, but not quite a friend due to her normally non-social methods of working. Behind the Scenes *He was originally designed as an earth pony that Backlash could strive to outperform, but was later changed to a unicorn to create a balance of pony races instead. *Before his redesign, he was slated to die in an early chapter as to let Backlash always push himself to be better than he was. This scene is still in the story in chapter 4, although the outcome has been changed. *Brass was redesigned as a character between the prologue and chapter one, originally being the toughest party member with greatest offensive capabilities. Those traits were stripped and used as the building blocks for Carlotta while Brass was rewritten to be the innocent and unassuming novice of the team. Category:Characters Category:Unicorns Category:Merchants of Hope Category:Characters (Merchants of Hope)